A fear of Falling
by Toph Hitsugaya
Summary: How does Hiro feel when he sees Akito push Rin out the window? And what happens afterwards that makes Hiro breakdown in HatsuHaru's arms?


**A fear of falling**

**I was reading fruits basket book 14 and I got the best idea and this is it. **

**Summary: How does Hiro feel when he sees Akito push Rin out the window? And what happens afterwards that makes Hiro breakdown in HatsuHaru's arms. **

**Warning: Child abuse**

**Disclaimer: Fruits Basket is not mine. I mean I always call it Fruits **_Baskets. _**There aren't 2 s's. **

**Also does anyone know any good Hiro fanfictions? I can't seem to find any. I'm begging you please tell me, I'm desperate! I need to read Hiro fics. It's killing me that I can't. Please tell me!I'll even read Hiro and Kisa fics and please don't flame me but I don't like Kisa. I'm that desperate for fics. **

I'm walking, I'm afraid to be in here but Akito has summoned me. I was on my way to see Kisa, to give her a gift, to see how she's doing. The gift is in my hands now, tightly clasped as if someone was trying to take it from me. Someone may want to take it from me, I don't know but I won't let them if they do try.

_I'm a fighter; I always have been…._

I can hear voices ahead as I walk. It sounds like Akito and….. Who else is there? A girl, I think. She sounds scared, worried, she sounds like she's panicking, begging, pleading. I hear Haru Ni's name called.

_What's happening? Who's in trouble now? _

It's Rin, I can tell now. She's the scared girl, she's the one panicking. Should I intrude? Like all the zodiac members, I hold a fear of Akito but mine runs deeper than most know it to. I still haven't forgotten what Akito did to me one afternoon. I never will, every time I look in the mirror at my back, I see the reminder, still sharp on my skin.

I make up my mind. Rin needs help. I turn the corner to see Akito practically on Rin; she's pressed against the wall, half hanging out the window that is imbedded in the wall. And suddenly I know, I can see what Akito is doing, I know what's about to happen.

_Stop, please stop….._

I hear the thud of the box falling from my hands and I'm running forward, screaming Rin's name, begging Akito to stop, to calm down. But I don't make a sound. My cries are in my head, my pleads are silent. I can't call out. I can only move forward, hands reaching out desperately.

And she falls, almost slowly, long dark hair that Haru Ni loved to run his fingers though flapping in the wind. Her face shows shock and for a brief second, fear. Then she lands, a dull thud bringing me round. I rush to the window, hold my body halfway out of it, look at my cousin on the ground, her hair fanning outwards, her body broken, bruised and bleeding.

And her eyes leak tears, her face is sad. She's thinking of Haru, the boy she loves. My hand reaches out as if I could grab her, pull her back up to safety. But of course I can't reach her. I'm just a kid, a stupid kid. I couldn't help her, I'm so pathetic. I could just die right now. What is wrong with me?

_Why? Why does everything always happen to us?_

I'm roused from my thoughts by a cold hand grabbing me by the neck and turning me around so that now I'm in the position Rin was in before whilst she lies on the ground crying. Now I'm half out the window. Now I could fall. I look up and into Akito's cold eyes. My body shudders involuntary, my fear overwhelms my. My knees tremble and my hands shake.

_Don't…Don't let me fall, I'm afraid…_

"Don't think you're going to get away so easily." Akito hisses, his venom coated words seeming to drive into me. "Don't think I'm just punishing that stupid girl."

"W what do you mean?" I stammer, too afraid to adopt my usual sneers.

"If you ever love anyone but me, that'll be you." Akito sneers for me. "Your body on the ground whilst someone else cries over you. You don't want Kisa to have to go through that do you?"

"No," I whisper. "I don't."

"Do you remember Hiro?" Akito asks suddenly, his grip not relaxing but rather tightening. "Do you remember that afternoon when you were 8?"

"Y yes." I get out my choked throat. Despite being slowly choked to death, my thoughts are on Rin. Has someone found her? Is she dead? IS someone going to help her? I can't call for help, I can't speak. I'm slowly having the life strangled out of me.

_NO! Stop please…._

"Oh goody," Akito sounds almost childlike despite being a young adult. "I often hoped you did. Do you know what Hiro, I can do that again."

And suddenly, my thoughts of Rin flood away. All I can remember is that silver blade flashing in the light, digging into my back, carving words that are still on me to this day.

_Akito_

The blood had run down my back, stained the ground. I had cried, pleaded for Akito to stop. But when he did, it was too late. He couldn't do that again to me, he wouldn't would he?

"No!" I try to scream but it comes out as a weak croak, in-comprehendible, just a feeble attempt at a cry for help.

Only Hatori knows about my back. He will be the only one to ever know apart from Akito. I don't want to be sliced up again; I don't want a branded back. I hate always having to hide, always making sure there is no chance of my scars being seen.

"Don't," I croak. "No please."

Akito tightens his grip suddenly and suddenly I know that I'm about to pass out.

'_Rin!"_

I cry in my head as everything goes dark.

**8800-0088-8800-0088 **

Hatori ran up to the body, he knew who it was straight away. It was Rin, the horse who lay there on the ground. Akito must have gotten angry, found out Rin and Haru were _no_ not were, _are _in love. Like when Akito found out he and Kana wished to wed.

"Shigure!" Hatori called to the man behind him as he assessed Rin's wounds and patched them the best he could. "Call a hospital, there is no way I can treat this. I also need someone to watch over Rin, perhaps not someone loyal to Akito. I have a feeling Rin wasn't the only one involved in Akito's rage. I need to get upstairs."

For once, Shigure was serious and nodded, running off to find someone. Hatori finished securing Rin, making sure she wouldn't die suddenly and upon seeing Shigure make his way back along the path with someone, ran off to the closet door that would lead him upstairs.

He pounded down the corridor and turned a corner to see a crumpled body near a window. As he grew closer, he saw the body was that of Hiro, the sheep or ram. He bent down near the still body, noting with relief that the young boy was still breathing. His neck was adorned with heavy purple marks showing that someone *cough, cough Akito cough* had viciously pressed their fingers into Hiro's neck.

Also, for one reason or another his t-shirt had been ripped away revealing the scars Hiro tried so hard to hide.

_Akito_

The scars no one knew about. Out of the whole zodiac, people always assumed Hiro was the one in the least pain. His animal wasn't considered disgusting or stupid or slow or special. He easily faded into the background. But his pain was up there with Kyo and Yuki. The sheep was targeted by Akito because he wasn't special. Akito liked to drill that into Hiro until the poor boy could do nothing but believe the God, believe that he was nothing.

With a sigh, Hatori scooped up the limp body and carried him away. The boy needed oxygen so he would have to go to the hospital with Rin.

**8800-0088-8800-0088**

I blinked a few times before I fully opened my eyes. My neck hurt, my body ached, my face seemed to be covered with something and my arm felt heavy.

'_RIN!"_

I tried to sit up but a firm hand pushed me back down. I looked to see whose hand it was.

"Haru," I croaked. "Where am I?"

"The hospital," Haru said easily. "The doctors did some tests on you, found out you were underweight and malnourished and have decided to admit you for a while until your back to a healthy weight. Also, Akito broke your leg after you fainted. He sure was pissed."

"Rin," I whispered. "Is she ok?"

_Don't let another life be gone, don't let her be dead…._

Haru looked down, suddenly a whole lot more interested in his hands than before.

"Coma," he finally sighed. "But she'll live they say."

"That's good." I got out. Rin was ok. She wasn't dead. Someone had helped her time. Oh thank someone other then God.

'_Akito' _I snarled softly, suddenly aware of how light I felt and how much my leg hurt.

"Hiro, can I ask you something?" Haru asked.

"You just did." I pointed out.

"Something else," The ox sighed again. "Can I ask you about why you're underweight and malnourished?"

"No," I said shortly. "It's none of your business."

_I can't say can I? I don't want you to laugh…_

"You say you admire me so I guess it is my business." Haru pointed out.

"Your logic sucks." I shot back.

"Well if you won't answer that-"

"No, I'll answer." I said not only surprising Haru but surprising myself. "It's a really stupid reason though. It's…..stupid." I sighed.

"You can tell me." Haru said comfortingly.

"I don't like eating." I snapped. "I hate the feeling of forcing dry tasteless crap down my throat. I eat soups and stews but that's about it and even them, I eat it rarely. I can't stand anything else. It just, I can't bring myself to eat it."

I waited for Haru's laugh, for anything that showed that Haru thought I was stupid.

"So what foods do you like the most?" Was all he asked. I looked up, surprised and maybe a tiny bit grateful.

"I like chicken soup." I said finally. "It's the only food I don't have to force myself to eat. I want food that isn't tough and dry like sticky rice or bread. But I can't find it so I don't eat."

I rested a hand on my chest. I could feel all my ribs. And then I realised I wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Haru," I choked out. "My back, did you?" I broke off, unable to continue. This wasn't like me. I was always so confident, so sure of myself.

Or maybe I was always like this; maybe my strength was a mask that hid my true face so well it couldn't be seen. Maybe the mask broke away as Akito chipped away at me, tore into me, stripped me of my strength.

_Maybe I was always weak…_

"I did." Haru broke me out of my thoughts. "I stayed by you this whole time and as they gave you tests, I saw them."

It was over. My secret was out, the one I tried too hard to hide.

I buried my head in my hands. I was Akito's possession. He had claimed me, ripped into my skin and scarred me. I was never going to be free. But I could freely cry.

And I did, the first time I had cried in a long time. My body shook with violent sobs and my chest heaved as I tried to breathe.

"Hiro I'm sorry." I dimly heard Haru say. "I never knew, I didn't see you as someone Akito would target-"

"And that's exactly why he targeted me!" I cried, my sobs stopping. "Because no one would know! I'm not important in the zodiac. I'm just the stupid sheep who didn't come first or last. I fade into the background in all but one's eyes, the most evil pair of eyes ever!"

"Hiro it's ok to cry." Haru said softly. "I was going to ask you what happened to Rin, why she got hurt but for now, I'll just let you cry. You don't have to keep it locked up anymore. Open the lid, you know you want to. Let it out and then let it go."

And suddenly I was clinging to Haru's chest and crying my eyes out into his shirt. I was crying louder than I'd ever cried before, soon Haru's shirt would be sopping.

But right now I didn't care.

_Let me stay here please, I feel safe. Let me just be with you…._

_And then maybe I won't have a fear of falling…_

**So what do you think? I have always thought Hiro (who happens to be my favourite character in Fruits Basket) is underappreciated and could have had a much better character. **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**I accept praise, constructive criticism and random comments that have nothing to do with the story but any flames will be extinguished with my magic water powers. I AM A WTERBENDER!**


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